If you want a perfect snapshot of modern cycling’s brutal economic reality, look no further than the frenzied fallout from this weekend’s Strade Bianche. Nineteen-year-old French prodigy Paul Seixas rode out of his skin to secure a stunning second place behind the inevitable Tadej Pogačar. Naturally, Pogačar’s team is already trying to buy him.
According to reports swirling out of the Belgian press, Seixas has officially halted negotiations to update his current neo-pro contract with Decathlon CMA CGM. The pause is supposedly going to last until after the spring classics, which in agent-speak translates directly to a willingness to entertain exorbitant bids from the Middle East.
The Emirati Acquisition Strategy
UAE Team Emirates-XRG has never been shy about wielding its massive budget to monopolize the peloton’s talent pool. They don’t just want the best riders in the world; they want the guys who might theoretically become the best riders in the world in three years. Sources suggest the squad views Seixas as the natural long-term successor to Pogačar himself.
Team sporting director Joxean “Matxin” Fernández played it predictably coy, noting that Seixas is a “very interesting rider” but acknowledging he is currently under contract. Still, Matxin casually added, “I think every team wants him”.
It’s an aggressive pursuit, especially considering Seixas is currently locked into his Decathlon deal until the end of 2027. But as we’ve seen with recent high-profile contract breakages across the WorldTour, a piece of paper isn’t going to stop a highly funded super-team from getting what it wants.
Strange Tactics on the Tuscan Gravel
What makes this potential acquisition even more cynical is the way UAE treated Seixas on the gravel just days ago. During Strade Bianche, as Pogačar rode away to his solo victory, his teammate Isaac del Toro was actively deployed to disrupt Seixas.
The young Frenchman noted that del Toro repeatedly blocked his attempts to chase on the Monte Sante Maria, calling the tactics “strange” and bluntly stating, “It was a game, and they decided to play it that way”. Del Toro sat on Seixas’s wheel all the way to the finale in Siena, refusing to take a pull before Seixas impressively managed to drop the Mexican rider to secure second place.
Apparently, UAE’s strategy is to physically blockade a teenager on the road on Saturday, then try to buy out his contract on Monday.
The French Resistance
Decathlon CMA CGM isn’t going to roll over easily. The French squad finally has serious financial backing from its new titular sponsors, meaning they don’t actually need a massive buyout fee. They also have the immense cultural pressure of keeping the biggest French general classification hope in a generation riding for a domestic team.
But Seixas’s camp knows his market value has utterly eclipsed his neo-pro salary. Decathlon knew they had to upgrade his deal even before this season. After he proved he’s the only rider capable of even existing in the same zip code as Pogačar, that old contract is officially obsolete.
The peloton is officially on notice. The race for Paul Seixas has begun, and the UAE wattage laboratory is already preparing the paperwork.